Draconic Laws
by Nayeri
Summary: Harry returns to school in his Seventh Year more changed then ever. What does Severus have to do with his mysterious plans? Dark, not evil, Harry.
1. Information

(Author's note: Have you ever gotten that bug that keeps biting until you write at least the first chapter? Well, it's happened to me again. I WILL finish my others, I promise you that, even if it takes me years to do so. So please stick with me as long as possible? Without further ado, on we go!)

Harry leaned against the window, gazing at the country side with a perpetual scowl. His once brilliant venom green eyes had darkened to a deeper forest green, a result of his transition into adulthood. If only the rest of the summer had turned out as pleasant, he mused, feeling decidedly cranky about various things that few would understand.

He barely jerked as he heard the familiar sound of the trolley, and his reply was equally as quiet. He wasn't hungry, hadn't been for awhile. Training had taken up too much of his time since he'd left the Dursley's, and before then...well, it had pretty much been the same old story. At least there was no way he'd be going back there after this Year, seeing as it was his seventh. Indeed, all would be over before the first semester was even out, if everything went as planned.

Snorting quietly at that last thought, he returned to his contemplation of the country side. He had asked his friends to meet him in the RoR, but until then to avoid him. He needed to think, to decide on exactly what to say and do. He knew, though, that he could not keep his inheritance from them, even if he told them little else. They would likely know at least part of it anyways, as it had been _their_ plan he'd been implementing during the holidays.

Harry was jerked out of his thoughts by the message that they would be pulling into the station shortly, and all students were required to get into their robes. Getting up, he rubbed his face idly, still amazed at how well the glamour had held since his birthday. Grabbing the robes he had flund over the seat across from him, he shrugged into them, making sure that the holes he had spelled invisible landed in the right area on his body.

Once the train pulled into Hogsmeade, he shuffled out with the rest of the students, trusting as always for the little in his trunk to be transfered up to his room. He had made sure very early in August that his valuable possesions stayed with him, in a small pouch he kept around his neck. Ignoring the stares of the younger students, he joined his friends in one of the thestral pulled carriages, knowing that he would rather be with them than with a stranger. He nodded to Ginny and Neville, and gave a slight smile to Ron and Hermione before concentrating out the window again. He didn't have much time staring out the window though before they were already at the castle, and in the Main Hall.

Harry felt himself being jarred as someone purposely knocked into his shoulder. He turned to glare at the person, then smirked slightly as he recognized the familiar blond hair. He moved closer to the other boy, enough to whisper what seemed a threat to others, but clear to those who knew him well. When he moved away from Malfoy, both had put on a mask of furious anger, and seperated with what appeared to be a great force of will.

After the event with Malfoy in the Hall, the rest of the evening seemed to fly by. Dumbledore only had the basic 'keep safe, stay on the grounds, avoid forbidden areas' speech to give the students, the same one he had given last year. Harry didn't even bother glaring at the man; it was too much effort, and all he really wanted to do was to get through his meeting with his friends so he could get some sleep.

The feast was over sooner than he had expected, and he slowly made his way to the seventh floor corridor. Pacing the required three times while holding in his mind that he wanted a shelf of books with a particular book being in a particular place. Opening the door when it appeared, he checked things over, and summoned up several chairs to boot. When he was satisfied all was in order, he settled down into one of the chairs, knowing his friends would be able to open the door fairly easily now.

As they had orchestrated it since Umbridge had found most of them out, his friends came in one by one space out over twenty minutes. When Draco had finally closed and locked the door, then taken his seat, they all looked to Harry who had yet to say anything of real importance that day. Hermione was finally the one to break the silence by asking "Why the urgent meeting Harry, what did you need to discuss with us so badly that it couldn't wait till our normal meeting time?"

Harry chuckled softly, and murmured "Always to the point, 'Mione. Thank you for that though." Sighing, he scrubbed his face for the second time that day. He continued in the same quiet tone "You'll all be pleased to note that the plan went off without too much difficulty. However, there are a few things that happened that I was unprepared for." The others waited silently, not pressuring him. They had known him for a long time, and knew that he would only tell them what he wanted them to know at that time. With a grimace, Harry continued "As you know, I turned seventeen this summer...and came into my inheritance as a full grown wizard...in a way I didn't expect. Hermione, will you go to the bookshelf, get the book that is five rows up, three books in, and turn to page 76?"

Hermione did so with ease, though she was somewhat surprised at the title: _Dragon Species, Extinct or Endangered_. Shrugging slightly to herself, she went back to the circle and opened the book to the requested page. Moving it to where they could all see it, there was a stunned silence as they read:

_The Rianan Dragon_

_Once one of the rarest of breeds, it was incredibly intelligent. Though it was no bigger than a rhinocerous in size, it possessed as much magic as it's bigger and wilder cousins did. It had the most extrodinary ability to transform into a human at will, and live among them even to the point of being able to concieve a human's child. The Rianan Dragon was the parent of the half-dragon race which was later named Draconian. Despite it's apparent strength and intelligence, there hasn't been a Rianan Dragon sighting for years, and it is believed to be extinct._

All his friends looked somewhat confused, though Hermione, Ginny and Draco weren't as bad as Ron and Neville. He wished Luna could have been there; she'd have known, right off the bat, what he was getting at. How he missed that soft-spoken, moonlit haired girl. It was Ron who pulled him back from his contemplation of the horrible events last year by saying "As amazing as this Rianan Dragon is, what's this got to do with you mate?"

Harry smirked slightly at the confused, blunt tone of his best friend. That was what he liked best about Ron: he was never afraid to get to the point, even if it was in a less than tactless way. Looking about his circle of friends, he said softly "My mother was a Rianan Dragon."

(End Author's note: Eek! Don't kill me for the cliffie, please! Note, there will be a lot of mentions about previous years in later chapters. Severus should make an appearance next chapter, in a somewhat less than Canon manner. This might be a typical Creature Inheritance fic. A typical Harry though? unlikely. Please R&R.)


	2. Explanation

(Author's Note: I think I will stick with this one a little while. Bear with me please. Without further ado, on we go!)

_Last time:_

_Looking about his circle of friends, he said softly "My mother was a Rianan Dragon."_

There was complete silence for a minute or two, then the unified cry sounded "WHAT?" Harry had to force himself not to laugh out loud at the sight of their stunned, slightly disbelieving looks. Shaking his head slightly, he gave them a bit of a smirk to show that he was utterly serious in what he had just said. Neville, who had finally gained the trait 'recklessly brave', was the first to speak "How can you be sure Harry? And how'd you find out?"

Harry nodded in acknowledgement of the question asked, then gathered his thoughts briefly. Finally deciding on a course of action, he grasped the ring that held his glamours in place. He drew it off his finger, letting out a slow breath as he felt reality shift back into being. His keen hearing picked up the almost inaudible gasp from all five of his friends, and he smirked slightly at them. He knew how he looked, having briefly looked into a mirror a few hours before getting onto the train. Glamors didn't work on his eyes, and never had really; he had always known what a person truly looked like under the illusion, though he never brought it up.

He finally stood around 5'10'', having reached the height of Draco and Neville at last. His face was lizard like in apperance, save for the fact that he had only gained a small muzzle. His eyes, still forest green, were slitted reptillian style with the "zippers" up the pupil. His fingers had turned into clawed digits, as had his toes. He was greenish-blue, and scaled from head to toe. His tail was whip like, with the ability to grip things, and a spear-head tip on the end. But it was his wings that were truly impressive. A full foot taller than him, the edges just barely reached his ankles. When spread out, the ribs and hook were venom green, with the webbing between a deep, ocean blue. The size of them was to make up for the lack of hollow bones; he flew on magic and wing-span alone, when he did fly.

Even he would admit, if asked, that he wasn't all that pretty; but he wasn't ugly to the point that warranted stares. Thus, his friends looks must have come from sheer surprise. This was the true test; if they stayed even after being shown what he had become, then he had found people to stick by him throughout the entire plan. He naturally wanted each and every one of them, but he wasn't about to force his precence on someone who couldn't stand to be around his natural form. With the secrecy spells they had employed for years, there was no reason for it as they could not betray each other.

There was some surprise as, with very little hesitation, all five of his friends settled back down into their chairs. They had made their choice then, and he smiled slightly (a rather frightening thing with a reptillian mouth). He then began his story, knowing that he had only answered part of the question he'd been asked "As I turned seventeen this summer, I was fully prepared for an income of magic, as well as the start of our plan. What I wasn't prepared for was the change from human to draconian. It was slow, taking about a week, but enough showed that first day to warrant a glamour ring.

"Well, once I'd gotten the plan underway, I went to Gringotts to one of the Potter vaults that had been sealed off from me before I came of age. There is literally a treasure trove full of antiques of many sorts. What I found though, was worth more than all the treasure in the world." He paused briefly to take a drink of the water he'd just called up, his eyes glittering slightly. It was dangerous to mention the plan anywhere but in their normal meeting place. However, it was doubtful that anyone would find out about it in the space of an hour. His inheritance, however, would easily be seen by the strongest of magics.

Continuing the story, he closed his eyes slightly to concentrate on what he remembered, "Mom had stored quite a few things under so many locks and spells that it took the goblin about an hour to get it all off, even with my signature! However, she put in it several objects that could have proved detrimental at that time. Such as adoption papers for herself by the Evans, as well as the proof that somehow or other she had gotten stuck in her human form as a babe before the Evans adopted her. Don't ask me how that happened, as I'm not quite sure, not having been alive when all this happened."

The others nodded quietly, accepting what he had said so far. It was Hermione, quick-witted as always, who asked what the proof was. Harry smirked slightly, and stated "Ultra-sounds that were obviously her's, showing that she was carrying an egg." All of them looked stunned and somehwhat puzzled, though a couple of them (namely the girls) felt that it likely had to feel worse for Lily to find out her entire life as a human had been a lie. Harry, however, seemed to be taking it fairly well; he had had about a month's time to grow used to the change though.

Draco spoke up just then, stating "We can discuss the here-tos and why-fors at our normal meeting time next Saturday. I would rather not get on Professor Snape's bad side tonight, though. Especially as we need to keep him happy for things to run smoothly." The others nodded in agreement, and one by one got up to go to their respective Houses.

Harry was the last, as he had to be the one to close the Room off. Once he reached the dorms, he sunk into bed with an inaudaible groan. Thanks to his glamours, his hygine was less of a concern until tomorrow night. For now, he just wanted some uninterrupted sleep. Thus, using the skills he had learned over the past year and a half, he slowly Occluded his mind, allowing it to slip into a dreamless fog.

_The next morning_

Harry growled under his breath as he speared a sausage with his fork. The schedules had yet to be handed out, and class would start in a half-hour! He glared briefly at Dumbldedore, before turning back to his breakfast. Either the man was being deliberatley obutuse that year, or he was slowly losing what little mind he had left.

Finally, with fifteen minutes to spare, the schedule was handed out. Grimacing mentally, he finished the last of his breakfast and headed for the first class of the day. Thankfully, Dumbledore was unable to put only two classes together that year, particularly in Potions. There just wasn't enough students from each house to make up a class if he did that. As it was, there was only about twelve to fifteen students in Potions, thanks to the fact that Snape was able to cut out those NEWT students who didn't perform up to snuff.

Thanks to the late schedule, Harry was the first one down to the dungeons. There he leaned against a wall outside the classroom, waiting for Snape to open the door. The higher level potions were taught in one of the rooms kept locked until in use. However, knowing that Dumbledore had made it so they only had a few minutes to spare, Harry knew that it wouldn't be long until he was seated inside.

His prediction proved to be true, as a minute later the door swung open. Strolling in with an almost casual air, he tipped his head to Snape, who was standing behind the teacher's desk. Unlike previous years, it appeared that he had finally had enough of dramatic entrances. Either that, or he felt that his Seventh Years didn't need to have their adraline sky high before class even started.

As Harry took his seat, the rest of the class filed in. He nodded to Hermione as she sat down next to him. He looked over the rest of the Seventh Years. It was a pathetic sight. There was about ten students, two from Gryffindor, one from Hufflepuff, three from Slytherin and four from Ravenclaw. Despite his feelings over this, it was no more than he had expected.

Severus looked over his class quietly, and nodded mentally to himself. Despite his initial surprise at seeing Potter as one of the NEWT students, he had come to find out that the boy had real talent for the upper-level Potions. He suspected that there had either been a suppresal of skill to prevent jealousy, or the Weasley boy had distracted him so much as to ruin a chance at proving himself. It likely was a combination of both.

He found, however, that he was being a little less harsh to the boy. It wasn't enough to be conspicyous, but Potter seemed to have noticed, and bloomed considerably. He had quite proven the previous year that he had well-earned the O in his Potion's OWL.

Shrugging off his introspection, he started class in his normally quiet voice. "All of you have proven time and again that you can follow instructions. That is why you have made it this far. Thus, I won't waste time with meaningless words. We meet twice a week. Today you will be working on the higher level Potions assigned in your book. Next time you are to choose a Potion, either to create or to improve, and outline it in proper fashion. Remember, any and all illegible papers will be returned for you to do over. However, by October you will be ready to begin work on your chosen project. The instructions for today are on the board." He pointed his wand to the board, and the first potion of the year wrote itself down. With that, he watched his students carefully prepare the day's work.

_Saturday morning_

Harry groaned, and stretched his wings idly in the shower. He had to be careful to get out all the grime from between the ridges of his wings, as well as underneath his scales. He couldn't wait to get back on a broom; at least then he would have a viable excuse for being so dirty. Honestly, how did one get gritty within a day?

Once his shower was finished, he turned off the water and put on his Glamour ring. Drying off, he took special care to dry his wings while no one was around. He then slipped into his clothes, threading the extra limbs through the invisible holes. Tonight, they would be heading for their meeting spot, though he suspected there to be a Call before then.

Almost as soon as he thought it, his scar gave an almost imperceptible throb. Groaning, he found Ron and Neville, and warned them what was happening. Ron went down to breakfast to alert the others in their group, while Neville, who would not be missed that morning, went with Harry down to the Chamber.

There, Harry took off his robes and slipped into his leather padding. On top of this he put on black armor from head to foot, Neville helping him with the chest plate. The back had been specially formed to go around the wings and seal together without revealing the holes. Once the helmet was on, he released the glamour on his wings to form it like a cape. Another glamour helped to reinforce that image.

Finished dressing, he bid Neville goodbye, and headed out the secret entrance to the Chamber. With great ease, he slipped away from the castle, sighing as he exited the wards. Grasping the chain armlet on his armor, he tapped the stone inserted there twice. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to relax at the familiar feeling of a Port Key. As he landed on his feet, he looked out from his secret alcove. Tom was beginning a Report meeting, though he really had poor timing for the spies at the school. Still, it gave him an excuse to bring Snape into the fold sooner. For now, it was time that he was introduced as the Dark Lord's Heir.

(End Author's Note: Another Cliffie, weee! I know it seems rushed, but I didn't want to make you guys have to wait and read through a whole week of classes. Anyway, please R&R, and hope that SOPA and PIPA don't pass. If they do, this very well may be my last fanfic chapter. Also, please forgive any mistakes you might see. The computer doesn't want to work with me.)


	3. Consternation

(Author's note: So it has been ages since I've updated this. Gomen, but I've had other things on my mind. Without further ado, on we go. Also, to those who complain about my completed stories, please note that I will only update grammar and spelling, nothing else.)

_Last time:_

_For now, it was time that he was introduced as the Dark Lord's Heir._

Severus grimaced mentally at the ceremony of bowing and scraping to the Dark Lord. He hated the vile creature, but was bound by his duty to obtain information. Though he hated that it had to be a Potter that would be the end of the chaos, he did wish that the boy would hurry up and be ready. Things were getting worse, and they could not afford to coddle him any longer.

As if in answer to his thoughts, the Dark Lord announced "My Death Eaters, I have called you here to witness the birth of a new era of darkness. May I present Black Wing?" Severus knew, as did everyone else, that the question was really an order. As one, the Inner Circle looked toward where the Dark Lord had gestured.

This so called 'Black Wing' was, apparently, a knight in pure black armor. There was no sword by his side, yet the very air seemed to roil as he walked to the Dark Lord. Severus glanced at the cape, noting that it did indeed resemble wings, but they were hardly black. Still, 'Blue-green Wing' didn't sound nearly as Dark as 'Black Wing' did.

The knight stopped in front of the murderer sitting on his throne, and barely inclined his head. Severus blinked briefly, the only sign of shock that he showed, even behind his mask. Whoever the person was, it was obvious that he was either extremely cocky, or had a position second only to the Dark Lord. The previously mention evil wizard confirmed that with his next words.

"Black Wing has undergone strenuous training over the last month of the summer. That is, after he had proven himself worthy to be my heir. A warning to everyone: he is my second in command, and has the authority to command and even plan missions. You will listen to him as you do me, or you will regret it." This was all said in the Dark Lord's high pitched voice, though it was as hard and as cold as stone. None of the Death Eaters doubted his words; after all, he never threatened, he promised.

The Death Eaters all gave their consent respectfully, bowing to the new Dark Prince. After that, they were dismissed, except for Severus, who was held back. He shivered mentally, wondering if he had been found out to be a spy for the other side. He didn't bother showing more fear than normal, though. He didn't wish for the Dark Lord to decide he did have something to hide.

"Severus," spoke the tyrant "I have a little job for you. Keep an eye on my heir; I do not want him getting ahead of himself before the plan has been carried out." Black Wing snorted slightly, but was ignored. That, alone, worried Severus. Who was this knight, and how powerful was he, that the Dark Lord would simply ignore his impertinent behavior?

He answered in the affirmative, his voice ever respectful. He was then given a surprising instruction: to grab onto one of Black Wing's arms and travel back with him. Apparently the knight wished to speak to him alone, without interference from any other soul. Knowing better than to argue, he complied with his directives, watching as the black gloved hand touched the armlet on the other side.

He grimaced to himself at the familiar 'hook-behind-the-navel' feeling of Portkeying. It soon stopped, giving the ever composed Potion Master time to look around. He was a bit stunned to realize he was in the Forbidden Forest only minutes from Hogwarts. He would have simply gone to the castle to warn Dumbledore of what had happened, but a signal from Black Wing caused him to pause. The knight was motioning for him to follow! Intrigued, and insatiably curious to whom this Dark Prince was, he did so cautiously.

He found himself led to a piece of wall behind the green-houses. It was covered in ivy, which grew on a bed of dust; except for one rectangle of ivy, about the size of a door. He couldn't see what the knight was doing as he fumbled with his hands. He did, however, see the knight prick his finger on suspiciously fang-like thorns on the ivy. This was obviously a blood ritual of some sort, as the door slid aside. He followed the knight reluctantly into the dark, wincing mentally as he heard the door close behind him.

He followed the sound of footsteps, his eyes useless to him in the utter darkness. They walked what seemed like hours, but in truth was barely 20 minutes. Then they exited into a circular stone chamber, surrounded by many snake statues. The knight walked up to one of the statues, pressed his injured finger into the fang, and grabbed the scroll that appeared once the blood vanished. The knight held the scroll out to Severus, still as silent as ever.

He opened the scroll up, and began to read: 'I, the undersigned, do hear by agree to allow my memory to be protected by means of a potion. I also agree to keep quiet on any and all matters discussed within the Chamber. I promise this on my magic and honor in return for gaining knowledge obtainable nowhere else.' After the contract agreement was a blank space, though there were hints of magic there that suggested previous signings.

He looked at the knight with raised eyebrow, as if to say 'You can't be serious.' His answer was a white feather quill held out to him. Apparently Black Wing was _very_ serious. He considered his options: he could get much more information then he would be able to with just spying, but he wouldn't be able to reveal it to either of his masters without his magic being stripped from him. On the other hand, if he denied it, he doubted that he would be allowed to keep the memory of how to reach this place. Sighing, he pricked his finger with the quill, and used the blood to sign the contract. He watched, fascinated, as his name vanished as soon as he was finished writing. The contract had accepted his magical offering.

The knight took the scroll back, and put it back into the mouth of the snake statue. The mouth closed briefly, hiding the scroll from view. A door opened next to it, and Black Wing walked through it. Severus was obliged to follow, though he was still incredibly wary. He figured though that it was a bit too late to back out now.

The passage from the Contract Room was shorter, before they walked into a giant chamber filled with water and several statues. He realized they were in the Chamber of Secrets, and continuing into a side room. There was a noticeable difference: the Chamber was almost freezing cold, chattering teeth worthy. The side room was pleasantly warm, with the crackling off a fire in a fire place. If he had been in a familiar place, Severus would have relaxed.

The knight flicked the door close as Severus entered, though the man could see there were other entrances to this room. Instead of being allowed to explore, he was led over to a table, where he was motioned to wait. The knight then brought over what he recognized as a small Pensive, and several vials worth of the silvery drawn memories. The vials the knight poured one after the other into the bowl of the pensive. Once all the vials were empty, Black Wing pointed at it, then Severus, then the Pensive again.

Severus' eyes widened slightly, before nodding. He couldn't know whose memories these were, but he suspected that he needed to see these. So he touched the surface of the liquid with his wand, and then dipped his face once it clarified. The familiar falling sensation quivered in his stomach, before he was finally and calmly deposited on his feet. He then turned his attention to the memory scene before him

~_He saw before him a family of four, sitting at a kitchen table for a meal. If the fading light was anything to go by, it was supper. He looked closely at the family; he noticed that the man was huge, looking like a hippopotamus. The amount of food in front of him gave evidence to why he was so large. The other big one was more on the tall side than fat, and had muscle on his frame. The woman was scrawny, and horse-like: he recognized her as Petunia._

_His eyes turned to the smallest of the four, and he saw what he expected. A head full of scruffy black hair, bulky glasses and that distinctive scar; Harry Potter. Why was he in the memory of Potter, his once most hated student? He admitted to himself that the boy had improved, matured, since the mutt's death. But he didn't expect to be trusted enough to view his memories again. _

_His attention was caught by movement on the table. The hippo man, which must be Vernon Dursley, was pouring a glass of milk. Then, while no one was looking, he slipped something into the milk. In the end, whatever was poured into it gave the milk the color of chocolate milk. This was handed to Potter, who looked surprised, but desperate. Considering the meager amount of half-eaten food on his plate, Severus couldn't blame him. He did wish that he could warn the boy not to drink the obviously tainted milk. There was nothing he could do, however, and the boy downed the liquid like one starving._

_Immediatley the scene fuzzed, as Potter was affected by whatever he had drunk. The boy made a face, but hid it well. He finished off his food, before picking up his and the others' plates. The young man, who Severus supposed was Potter's cousin, got up as well, and told the child that he would wash the dishes. Potter seemed stunned, but aquieced. It looked as if the teen was going to fall down, and considering the fading of the scenery, it was easy to come to that conclusion._

_The trip up the stairs was like a dream, even to Severus, who was following memory Potter but not directly affected by anything around him. As he looked at the teen, he figured that he was 16, though he would reach 17 within a couple of months. That meant the memory was of this past summer. He wondered why he felt something ominous coming up, when he noticed the boy had collapsed on his ratty bed and the scene was blackening._

_The scene didn't become clear, but some things came through. Pants, sobs, and flashes of lightening that Severus knew meant pain. It wasn't hard to figure out what was happening, and he was horrified. Before he could confirm, the memory shifted, showing more days of pain that culminated into the boy—man, saying goodbye to his Aunt and cousin as he sent them off to safety. There was something about him, but he was distracted by Potter casting wards about the house, stopping the place from being discovered. The scene ended with Potter walking into the house, a determined and angry look on his face that meant no good for whoever crossed his path.~_

After the final memory faded, he was pulled out of the Pensive. It took everything he had not to shiver or throw up. Forcing his mind to push aside his horror at discovering that Potter was not the spoiled brat he always believed him to be, he looked about. He was given another shock: Potter, Granger, Longbottom, Weasley, Weasley and Draco were sitting in a semi-circle around the table, all eyes on him. He was starting to wish he hadn't woken up that morning.

(End Author's note: Well, that's the end of that chapter. What say you, my readers? Was I vague enough, or did I go over the edge? Please R&R and tell me what you think.)


	4. Negotiation

(Author's note: I'm not going to explain myself, just apologize; sorry for taking so darn long on this chapter. Without further ado, on we go)

_Last time: __He was starting to wish he hadn't woken up that morning._

Harry watched Snape from his position at the head chair, his green eyes nearly black with reflection and the dim light. The man looked puzzled, but also like his misconceptions had been truly shattered. However, that didn't last long, as the Potion Master soon pulled his mask back on, causing Harry to nod in acceptance. He beckoned Snape forward with a black gloved hand, having only taken off his helmet thus far.

Snape's gait was unsteady as he moved forward, and stiff as he sat upon the proffered seat. Given that the six of them were in seats, Harry reckoned they didn't appear as much of a threat. If the man only knew how well trained all of them were, he more than likely would have drawn his wand and been working through any spells that would come in handy if the meeting dissolved into a battle. Perhaps it was best if they didn't show him their talent until after they had gotten his promise to aid them; either way, now was not the time for reflections, as the man was beginning to ask the question that was expected of him.

"Why?" asked the deep baritone voice, the tone strained as if hiding a lot of emotion. Harry pondered for a minute how much to answer, as that one question was asking several things at once. He decided with the simplest one: why show him the memories. After all, that had been part of the plan.

"Because you needed to see, to be made to understand; we needed you to forget everything you might have thought up about me, and us. We need your help if this year's plan is to go off without a hitch." his answer was quiet, barely above a whisper, and yet it seemed to echo throughout the entire room. The other five kept their peace, knowing that it was Harry's prerogative, and duty, to be the spokesperson for the group. They had agreed on that two years ago, when their group had been complete.

The Potion Master blinked, confused and slightly wary when he heard about the fact that there was a 'plan'. Harry sighed, and looked up to the ceiling briefly. He said in that same quiet voice "I…we plan on taking out the three Powers this year, on All Hollow's Eve. However, besides the fact that we need someone who is in both camps but on the side of neither, we need someone to complete the pentagram for the spell that we are going to use to be effective." Harry had never been one to beat around the push when it came to giving important information; it was why he was a Gryffindor and not a Slytherin.

Hermione spoke up then, as the preparation were her area of expertise, "Indeed, yes. Six would do in a pinch, but we'd have to use the smaller pentagram. Seven is far more stable for spells of this nature. It would also be very helpful if you could look over the potion Draco and I shall be brewing this month to make sure that it comes out correctly." As the young woman spoke, Draco nodded slightly, his expression almost pleading towards Snape.

Seeing the look from Draco, and hearing Hermione's words seemed to keep Snape from saying anything for a good ten minutes. He then said, "I'm assuming that the spell and potion are to take out the Dark Lord," receiving a nod, he continued "What, or who, then are the other two Powers (though I can hazard a guess on one of them)?" Harry smirked slightly at that, his eyes seeming to glow briefly despite the glamor ring.

"Why, Dumbledore and the Ministry of course; neither one of them can be allowed to remain strong and unbalance the world once Tommy boy falls. Especially Dumbledore," said Harry, spitting the Headmaster's name as if it were a foul curse that he didn't want to remain in his mouth for too long.

Snape seemed stunned, and looked as if he was about to ask another question when Harry held up a gloved hand. The young draconian in disguise said in a low voice "Did you know that the Fidelus charm takes at least two people? A Secret Keeper, and a caster; there are only three people in Britain who can cast the charm. Meaning that the one who cast my parent's Fidelus charm knew exactly who the Secret Keeper was."

Snape blinked, and then seemed to think about it for a minute. Harry let him, knowing that it would take a while for the man to understand where he was coming from, and why he had assumedly changed the subject. It didn't take too long though, intelligent man that the Potion Master was, and what little color remained in his face drained away.

Harry nodded quietly, his green eyes hard as gems. The caster knew that Pettigrew had been the Secret Keeper, and Sirius had been innocent. Yet his godfather had been sent to suffer for twelve years in prison and Harry to suffer twelve years at the Dursley's. Of the three people who could cast the charm, Amelia Bones had nothing to gain from it, and Filius Flitwick would never have betrayed the Potters like that. No, the only one who had anything to gain by it was the last person who knew the spell upward and backwards.

"Dumbledore," spat Snape, his eyes as black as coals. Harry barely smirked, knowing that he had gained another to his cause and perhaps to his group as well. The plan was going to move much more smoothly now.

(End Author's note: Good grief, this chapter took much longer than it should have. Gomen, and please R&R.)


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